One of the things I really got used to the last several years is seeing cotton seed and plants throughout the season. Its amazing how much I miss it when I live somewhere else. I’ve lived other places before and was able to keep up on the crop and with social media, I have lots of people willing to help me stay up-to-date on the crop in various areas, but its not the same. So when I was back in Memphis recently, I decided to take the backroads for a while rather than popping on the Interstate and making a bee-line out of town. I didn’t see many cotton fields on this trip, but once I was able to row a field (that means see rows of plants from the highway), I turned in and decided to take some photos and soak up a little of my favorite fiber!

Related articles

• Planting Considerations
• Thinking through Selecting Cotton Varieties
• Planting Cotton in California
• What does a cotton plant look like?
• more related posts on the Cotton 101 page

The post Cotton 101: Saw My First Cotton Plants for the Season appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

When I started the fabric of our lives series of guest posts, I thought about some of the people who could really help celebrate my favorite natural fiber. oddly, one of the names that came to mind is normally connected to sheep — my friend Sally Colby Scholle who lives in Pennsylvania & has sheep. She tweets as @sheepwriter blogs about it at https://sheepwriter.wordpress.com/. I couldn’t tell if it was really nervy to ask her to write about natural fiber or not so I told her it was fine if wool got equal time, cause she and I both know the various natural fibers all play a role for us. I love the post she came up with too!

If it feels good, wear it!

I was one of those wiggle-worm kids who just couldn’t sit still in school. Every teacher is blessed with a few of us fidgety kids, and I hereby apologize to all of the teachers who had to tolerate my squirminess.

Now I realize that part of the reason I was so restless was because I just couldn’t stand the way my little plaid dresses felt. They were itchy. I didn’t know this at the time, but I’m sure that the reason those dresses didn’t feel quite right is because I was in elementary school when the great new P fabric was introduced.

My mom hit the homemaker jackpot – she no longer had to iron my cute little dresses. I, however, drew the short straw and had to wear itchy clothes.

Somehow I adjusted and made it to junior high, where my home economics teacher assigned a fabric identification project. I was lucky – my mom sewed, and we had a multitude of fabric scraps. I loved learning the names of the pretty cotton fabrics as I carefully stapled them to a piece of poster board … seersucker, chintz, chambray, gingham, denim.

Ahh…denim. With two jobs – farmer and ag writer – I can almost always wear whatever I want. I have old, broken-in jeans that are perfect for whatever I have to do in the barn or in the field. Some have patches, some should have patches, but they’re all comfortable. I love the durability of denim jeans and how they become part of me. I also love denim’s other life as deep-dyed indigo blue for dressy jeans.

In close second for favorite clothing are my cotton t-shirts. The long-sleeved versions are perfect for layering in winter, for in-between weather and for sun protection in summer. Cotton sweatshirts are great for unexpected changes in weather, so I usually keep one in the front of the four-wheeler. When I shop, I always look for the cotton label  – it means clothing that won’t itch, pill or look thin and worn before its time. Although my first choice for everyday wear is a cotton t-shirt, my dressy cotton shirts are the perfect choice for pairing with dark jeans when it’s time to look like something other than a farmer.

Since we raise sheep, all this cotton talk might make me sound like a traitor. But wool is another natural, renewable fiber that, like cotton, has a multitude of uses and blends well with cotton. I often use the sleeves from worn-out cotton sweatshirts to make little coats for chilled lambs. If that isn’t the perfect match, nothing is!

In cotton, I can walk around the pasture checking new lambs, trim hooves, milk goats, ride a horse, work in my garden, meet with farmers at a field day, go shopping, attend an ag meeting or have dinner with friends. What else is there?

Thanks, cotton farmers, for growing my jeans and shirts!

The post If it feels good, wear it! appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Earlier this week, I made a plea for guest posts…. I want to share the various stories about how cotton is the fabric of our lives. Those special moments and the day-to-day that include my favorite fiber. Good friend Val Wagner is the first to take me up on the offer! Val didn’t send her own bio, so she’s at my mercy.  Val is one of a kind and at the same time, so familiar. She doesn’t fit the stereotypes others set up, but it’s not because she tries not to, she is simply being her awesome self! She lives in Monango, ND (which I will be visiting this summer – do or die!)

I first met her at the 2010 AgChat Foundation Conference (the photo at left is from our laughter at the airport as we headed home) but we had talked quite a bit on Twitter so I felt a little like I knew her. By the time we caught up at another ag meeting, we were dear friends. She had started her blog Wag’n Tales, that tells the story of her family’s farm where they raise beef cattle, corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa hay and four boys. Val is a farm mom in the traditional sense in that you’ll see her post recipes and talk about the crazy schedule of keeping the household of four sons running. But she also writes about going ice fishing or hunting, spending time driving tractors or helping deliver calves. Thanks Val & I hope you enjoy the post!

Cotton. I’ve always known what it was, but never gave it much thought. I mean, I like it in my clothes, I love it in my bedding, it’s everywhere I look…but I didn’t think about it. Much like many of us, I would guess. 

But that all changed not so long ago. I met this lady who has a passion for all things cotton…and when you come face-to-face with that kind of excitement and energy, you can’t help but feel a little excited and energized yourself.

I started reading labels, and watching what I bought, and realizing (without ever knowing it) that I was heavily in the cotton court…or maybe I should say field?

My hubby’s new Carhartt spring work shirt is 100% cotton. 

My youngest son’s favorite blanket is 100% cotton.

My wrestling son’s wrestling shirt is 100% cotton.

Yes, cotton is woven through every nuance of our lives…and I realize now, just how important that is.

Cotton is truly the fabric of our life.

You can learn about how cotton is grown through the Cotton 101 series of posts or more about the natural fiber in a variety of cotton posts.

The post Paying More Attention to Cotton Clothing & Textile Labels appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Recently, when I wrote a blog post about the fact farmers are the ones paying for the ads that support the fabric of our lives campaign, a cotton farmer from the Texas High Plains left a comment on my Facebook page. I’ve been thinking about it since. He said:

“Few people have any idea how much cotton means to our lives. Last week I helped with the funeral of a man whose ground we have farmed for the past 23 years. I had a boll of cotton in my pocket through the service. In our home we have cotton in a vase like most folks would have flowers… Thank you for all you do to spread the word of the fabric of our lives!!!”

Since I started my blog in 2009 I have written a bunch of blog posts over the last year or two trying to help tell the story of cotton. I even tried to put the basics of the crop in a cotton 101 series of posts. I have been able to talk about all sorts of things but I keep thinking something is missing and I realized, its the stories of other people…. people like Steve who have spent most of their lives growing the fiber and people like a friend who told me that one of the things that reminds her of her dad who died too young is a paisley handkerchief or a bride-to-be who had her daddy grow the perfect crop to surround her nuptials. These people all feel the fabric of our lives in a way that their voices should be heard. I want to share them here on the blog too in a series of guest posts!

Why Write a Guest Post

Whether the cotton connection you have is a fashion show or helping it grow, I’d love to have a glimpse of it here on my blog! I want to celebrate the incredible people who are involved in our favorite fiber’s path to market as well as the ones who enjoy making cotton products a part of their lives. Something so simple connects us all.

I’m thinking about friends who had cotton in their wedding arrangements, people who take photos of their kids out in the crop every year, connecting back to family stories from generations ago. There’s the cotton farmer in California who gave his wife Pima flowers on their first date, cotton ginners who spent months getting the crop ginned, designers who made a classic clothing item new again, textile workers who take pride in making thick cotton towels. If you remember your daughter’s first fashion show and the great cotton jumper she wore, or that blanket that was needed for you to sleep…. the concert shirt you feel 18 again in or that pair of Wranglers George Strait wore when you saw him in concert. I’d like you to share your story about how you connect with cotton. (As you can see here, I regularly share stories of cotton from my cotton 101 series to how much I love hoodies!)

Surely you have some really happy memories that would be fun to share, or something near and dear to your heart that will touch the hearts of the people who read what gets posted here. I know a lot of you don’t share your stories on a blog or YouTube everyday. This would be a great way to just dip your toe in.  I’d love to have a bunch of people share their stories through my blog. And I’ll link them up with this logo I made up.

If you are willing to help me celebrate cotton in a series of posts here on my personal blog, shout either here, on the blog’s Facebook page or send me an email to guestpost at janiceperson dot com (written this way to try & reduce spam). Feel free to tell any friends you think would be interested to join us too! I’d love to have a few posts each week for a couple of months but have to say, this could really be a great series of posts for far longer than a month since there are so many incredible people who have close relationships with cotton! I’ve already written as much here as you’d be committing to!

How to Write a Guest Post

If you haven’t written a blog post before, don’t worry. Its a snap! Here are a few things to get you going:

• Think about the story you want to share & start writing it down! If you are nervous about what to write or how much to write, don’t be. There is no real rule (yes, this is part of the reason I love blogging!) A guideline to consider for length is 500 words, but really you want to tell a complete story so shorter or longer is fine. Remember the people who read this blog have a wide range of backgrounds, it may be good to reread the post & think about whether you are using any words you may want to explain. If you don’t write a lot, maybe you want to ask someone to give it a look. I am willing to help you be sure your best foot is put forward if you like.
• Find a few photos that help tell the story. With the wonders of digital, its amazing what you can do for photos. If you are talking about an event, we’d love to see it. If you refer to that poodle skirt your mom wore in high school, we’d love to see it too! Snapping a quick photo with your mobile phone is an option, you don’t have to have a really expensive camera though with a few folks I’m sure I’ll have great photos, there is a full spectrum for a reason.
• Prepare a short bio with links to your social media sites as applicable. And a photo.
• Send it on in! You can get in the cue by sending to jplovescotton at janiceperson dot com.
  

Any Questions?

Guest Posts Written for the Series (so Far)

Why would a farmer plant GMO cotton?

Cotton is the Fabric of the Classroom for @HouseAgBuilt

Wanted: Job that Pays Well for Napping / Cocooning in Comfort

It been a couple of years since a college kid seemed to stumble into my social media world. Okay, other college kids stumble in, but this one — Kelly Rivard took up residency! I got to know Kelly through Twitter (@kmrivard) and before long she was appearing all around me! Facebook, Skype, the now nearly […] Continue Reading

The post What is it that you love about cotton? Please join a series of cottony goodness! appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

I’m not sure about you, but I often find myself humming or singing along as someone on TV sings “the touch the feel of cotton, the fabric of our lives.” But have you ever stopped to wonder why there are ads for cotton on TV?

Well, its easy enough of an answer. The ad campaigns for cotton are funded through a commodity program that seeks to increase the marketability of my favorite fiber. And Cotton Inc. comes up with the awesome creative (as you probably guessed, the Zooey Deschanel part of the campaign cause I love her voice and sense of style too).

What a lot of people don’t realize is that cotton farmers pay for those ads as do people who import cotton. It’s a way for these groups to pool funds to support market awareness. It’s fairly easy to understand that farmers would like to keep cotton top of mind and since the makers of all the synthetic fibers like polyester have ad budgets, advertising is part of it. I can certainly remember various fibers — rayon, tencel, etc suggesting they have benefits over natural fiber.

Another part of the financial resources goes to research and development of textile processes, cotton production practices, etc which help keep cotton competitive with synthetic fibers in other areas or even help discover new uses. Those activities help provide a return to the people funding the program. It is pretty ingenious and I have to say, for me, the ads provide a look at natural fibers as fashionable and comfortable.

And knowing how much goes into the seal of cotton (all that research in endorsed by farmers), I always feel buying a product that has the familiar cotton logo on it!

If that’s not all reason enough to check into the things cotton farmers are funding, I’ll be a name dropper. Long-time friend in the cotton industry, Louisiana cotton farmer Jay Hardwick currently is serving as the chairman of Cotton Inc. And Jay totally rocks! If you don’t know that, you must have missed the spot America’s Heartland did on Jay Hardwick last year — you really should get caught up on that.

Information for people who enjoy cotton clothes and textiles is available from:

• Websites for Cotton Inc include the fashion-oriented thefabricofourlives.com,
• There is a Facebook cotton page  (who doesn’t “like” cotton?)
• Fashionable tweets go out from @CottonFashion.
• And great videos are on the CottonFabricofOurLives YouTube Channel.

Farmers, importers, etc who want information on the programs of Cotton Inc can check out:

• The organization’s activities on a broader basis cottoninc.com — you should also check out the sustainability site at CottonToday
• You can like Cotton Inc on Facebook for info.
• Tweets from @CottonInc

The post What’s the Fabric of our Lives About? Why Advertise Cotton? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

I love it when a short conversation inspires a blog post! I want to give a few thoughts to the ideas that my good friend Marie Bowers inspired recently with this tweet:

@JPlovesCOTTON Hey what is the demand for cotton?

— Marie Bowers (@MarieB41) January 31, 2012

My first reaction probably wasn’t what she was looking for, but it made me laugh.

I WANT COTTON RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! RT @MarieB41: @JPlovesCOTTON Hey what is the demand for cotton?

— Janice Person (@JPlovesCOTTON) January 31, 2012

Once the laughter subsided though, I wanted to figure out where she was coming from & what she was really asking about so I asked….

·         Maybe you meant something else? Like growing middle class in much of the world, growing population too?

It wasn’t long until I realized, she was asking about cotton because a lot of people in her part of the country have been talking about another fiber crop – flax. But Marie had only heard pieces and was willing to trust me to try and fill her in. When I mentioned linen clothing, it seemed she didn’t realize that linen came from flax. My guess is she is not the only one!

So what are the natural fiber crops and what makes them similar or different?

These are the points I have learned to date and I have to remind you, that i have only a tiny bit more experience than Marie and am in no way an expert.

What helps define the group of natural fibers? My layperson’s explanation is pretty easy. Natural fibers are harvested from plants or animals to be used in various products we use. You are probably like the vast majority of the world in not thinking much about where fibers come from, natural or man-made but natural fibers are usually from a farm.

The most common natural fibers in my part of the world are cotton, linen, wool, cashmere and silk. And I think we’d consider wood a fiber as we harvest trees, but I am not too sure there.

The first two are from plants (cotton and flax) and the others are from the animal kingdom (assuming silkworms can be classified animals). Some of the fiber crops that you may not hear as much about are mohair, hemp, kenaf, jute, bamboo and I’m sure I’m missing some!

Most of us know natural fibers is through clothing and household linens, and paper. But they are also used for things like rope, in medical supplies, and lots of other uses too. I’m going to stick to natural fibers used in clothing.

So a few bullet points from my background with cotton & textiles?

Its clear, I have a favorite fiber. But there are some points that I’ll mention:

• Each fiber has strengths and weaknesses (well other than cotton that totally rocks )
• It seems that as more parts of the world begin to build a larger middle class, people tend to buy another outfit or two. Think about how our grandparents may not have even had closets and now we have homes with closets that are enormous. Or think of how many hoodies/jackets/sweaters you have versus how many sweaters/jackets were in your parents home, or compare jeans, etc.
• Demand for cotton has been fairly consistent and global supply tends to keep up with demand. This is fairly easy as there are so many world areas involved in cotton production and consumption. There is more flexibility to plant more cotton in a given year than there is to harvest wool…. you just need to have seed & available land vs the livestock to do that production.
• Farmers will plant cotton in warmer geographies but they may change the number of acres in cotton vs other crops.
• Fiber consumption involves on-farm production as well as textile mill use.
• Textile mills tend to gain experience working with certain fibers and the equipment they use may be better for one group of fibers or another.

My selections for natural fibers?

• Cotton is a fiber that has great flexibility. I have a great love for wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie (picking from a bunch) on a day when I’m goofing off, but have several tailored blazers and slacks made of majority cotton that make it a frequent fiber for the office too. In winter, I have thick cotton flannel sheets that are awesome! Its not just the crop I love but I do love cotton products!
• I like wool but it wasn’t until I found SmartWool that I realized what an incredible fiber it was! I can’t imagine a winter without my comfy wool socks! I’ve become a great proponent for wool too, buying my mom & nieces SmartWool that seems to have changed their lives! And boiled wool cardigans totally rock this time of year! My brother has been shearing his sheep for a few years and my sister had some of it spun for a blanket for his first grandbaby. And the trip to England resulted in some hand-dyed wool yarn & a wool scarf!
• Linen has varied a lot in my life… at one time all linen clothes would be wrinkled for me by the time I got the clothes on. But there are softer linens now and in the summer months, I wear some linen slacks and jackets. I’ve never been to a farm where they were growing flax that I know of. Since its a bit more to the north, I’ll have to put that on my to do list!
• Silk is a great summer fiber too but I’ll admit to wearing it a good bit of the year. I’ve got several nice blouses made of silk that make it easy to run around while wearing a suit but I also have some casual silk shirts. In early winter, or in this mild one, I sometimes wear silks (as in long underwear)!

Which natural fibers do you prefer and why?

The post What’s this talk about natural fibers? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.